Photo: Alamy
Vice President J.D. Vance visited troops at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday. Vance thanked the troops for their service and celebrated the occasion by serving them beer and taking photos with them.
Vance appeared to be in good spirits as he chatted with troops and poured drinks. Service members introduced themselves to the Vice President, with one giving a memento from his time serving in Afghanistan for Vance to bring home to give to President Trump. The visit had an upbeat atmosphere with music playing in the background and a continuous line of people waiting to shake Vance’s hand and take photos.
Vance made the visit during a refueling stop for Air Force Two following a trip to Italy and India. Before meeting troops individually, Vance made brief remarks expressing his gratitude and respect.
“We’re so proud of you. We’re so grateful for what you do,” Vance said. “I see some families here. We know that military service, especially at the level that you guys do it, is incredible sacrifice, not just for all of you but for the whole team. So we’re grateful to you.”
Vance told the crowd about his return from the trip and joked about being jet-lagged before emphasizing the importance of the mission in projecting power internationally.
“We just got back, as you may know, from a trip. We went to Italy, we went to India, and now we’re back again, so I have no idea what the hell day it is, what time it is, but we’re proud to be here celebrating with you guys,” Vance said. “We know that you guys are one of the most important parts of how we project power overseas. We refuel our missions. We deliver cargo. We deliver weapons if we have to and we deliver humanitarian assistance to the people who need it.”
Vance also shared his experiences and insights into the importance of the German base.
“As an Iraq war veteran myself, I know this was a place that a lot of wounded warriors came before they came home. So whether you’re getting cargo to where it needs to go or taking care of our troops who’ve gone off to war we are grateful to you guys,” Vance said. “We’re thankful for what you do, and I guess as a small token of our appreciation I’m going to serve you all some beers. Thank you all. God bless you.”
